Tall multi-story buildings typically contain numerous elevators, which are arranged to form several elevator groups. Each elevator in the elevator group can take passengers to different floors or floor zones in the building. The operation of the elevators in the elevator groups is controlled by a set of control means receiving the calls entered by the passengers. The calls may be e.g. car calls given from inside an elevator car or landing calls given from different floors. Call arrangements have also been developed wherein the passenger selects the destination floor at the starting floor already before boarding the elevator. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,972,926 discloses a solution of this type, wherein both the entry of an elevator landing call and the definition of destination are implemented by pressing a button on a destination call device. Activated by the destination call entered by the passenger, the set of control means determines (allocates) a route that the passenger has to follow in order to reach the destination he/she has selected. In determining the route, the set of control means often utilizes different optimizing methods to optimize the route with respect to desired parameters. The route allocated by the set of control means may be a multistage route, which may comprise several sub-journeys using e.g. elevators, escalators and/or moving walk-ways. In simple routing solutions, the destination call is located on the same floor level, possibly in the same elevator lobby, as is served by the elevator implementing the route. In complex routing solutions, the building has to be provided with numerous display devices, fixedly mounted guide maps and/or other guidance devices to guide the passenger from the destination call device to the destination according to the route. In prior art, various alphanumeric codes are used in the guides of elevator systems to guide the passenger to the right elevator lobby and/or elevator. In traditional elevator systems, the elevator system uses an acoustic signaling device, such as e.g. an arrival gong, placed in the immediate vicinity of each elevator door, generally above it, to announce the arrival of an elevator at the floor in question to the passengers in the elevator lobby.
Prior-art guidance systems involve several problems. Alphanumeric guides often contain codes from which the passenger's route information is difficult to decipher or the codes do not provide sufficiently informative information to passengers. The guidance information may also be too abundant for an individual passenger to be able to find his/her route without difficulty. For the visually handicapped, traveling in elevator systems based on prior-art technology is often almost impossible. The sound signals announcing the arrival of an elevator at the floor are often identical for all elevators serving that floor and are primarily intended to indicate the arrival of each elevator at the floor. As the sound signals on the floor level are identical for different elevators, the elevator passenger can not find the elevator belonging to his/her route on the basis of the sound signals only. Due to insufficient guidance, in large building complexes the passenger often experiences uncertainty in the selection of the correct route and easily strays from the route leading to the destination floor.